HDV & AVCHD editing observation

[treehousemann]

Happy Holidays Everyone. Hope everybody's holiday videos are going well!!

 

Just a general observation after a number of fairly intensive editing projects. Originally I thought with a fairly decent duo core processor I would be good to go with editing HDV MPEG 2 or AVCHD files. But Alas NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Silly me. Just STILL not easy stuff to edit in preview of Videowave. Lots of constant stutter and 1 to 2 second freezes at clip transition points in the preview of videowave, indicating to me that my processor is still fighting an up hill battle. Feels like Duo Core needs to be Quad at the least to truly handle any real volume of MPEG 2 HDV and especially AVCHD. I've done all the software upgrades and patches, turned off all background and start up processes but still a problem. Generally once you get to the output it's fine to any file format, but if you are doing music base editing ( aka Christmas video!!) or any beat required edit points, it's next to impossible to really determine in preview of Videowave. So I have reverted back to converting all my HDV MPEG 2 files to AVI in order to edit properly in videowave. I end up back in SD as a final product. Now I only use my MPEG 2 HDV file pieces or AVCHD for simple pieces such as my daughter's recitals or anything not requiring a lot of editing but basically drop in videowave trim here and there and done.

 

Its a little disappointing.

 

Anybody else sharing this experience? It feels like Quad 4 is in my future faster than I hoped. But I don't know if that is even fast enough...

 

Thanks all

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Tim.

[grandpabruce]

I wouldn't even consider working with HD video files, with any computer less than a Quad 4 processor. Although I believe it can be done, with a lesser processor, I believe that it would be agonizing to do so.

[treehousemann]

Yes, I've learned the hard way. It is possible but what a pain in the butt. I am going back to SD editing on intense projects, at least until I move to Quad 4. But as you can imagine, there is a lot of hype over HD camcorders that fool people into what is possible. I qualify as one of the fools!!

 

Thanks for the input..

 

Tim

[grandpabruce]

Yes, I've learned the hard way. It is possible but what a pain in the butt. I am going back to SD editing on intense projects, at least until I move to Quad 4. But as you can imagine, there is a lot of hype over HD camcorders that fool people into what is possible. I qualify as one of the fools!!

 

Thanks for the input..

 

Tim

 

You're welcome. I wish I had a HD camcorder right now, and I would get one, but I don't want to get shot, before Christmas.

 

[treehousemann]

ah.. I completely understand.. I want a Quad 4.. The Dual Core isn't even a year old.. Yea I'm pretty sure the gun is already loaded. I'm on my way to getting blasted! Saving grace might be that she gets the dual core!!! I hope, but very doubtful.

[Jim_Hardin]

I don't buy it! Something else is going on, the number of cores will effect render time but NOTHING ELSE!

 

Look at my sig block, I am burning Blu-ray and AVCHD with a P4 as well as a core2!

 

Louis your best bet involves Format C:\! Not some silly restore partition but actually formatting and installing from disc. Chipset driver then Roxio.

 

Actually a cute trick I do with laps is buy a USB 2.5" HDD enclosure and a new HDD. Put the new one in the Lap and do the format~~~. The old one is a fall back and with the USB enclosure, acts a backup!

 

[treehousemann]

Jim,

 

Ah your comments give me hope! Just to give you an idea of the volume I typically work with in a big project for me. So for example lets say you have an hour of MPEG 2 HDV or AVCHD capture in about 35 to 50 clips of about 40 seconds each. The goal is 3 to 5 minute piece. You mean when you start to lay that out in videowave you have no freezes or stutter as you move from one clip to another in preview? Burning is not a problem. The output always eliminate the stutter, but "seeing" how your shots are timed and working in the edit is tough. I have to output a small WMV file so I can actually how the edit is truely working.

 

Thanks

 

Tim

[Jim_Hardin]

Jim,

 

Ah your comments give me hope! Just to give you an idea of the volume I typically work with in a big project for me. So for example lets say you have an hour of MPEG 2 HDV or AVCHD capture in about 35 to 50 clips of about 40 seconds each. The goal is 3 to 5 minute piece. You mean when you start to lay that out in videowave you have no freezes or stutter as you move from one clip to another in preview? Burning is not a problem. The output always eliminate the stutter, but "seeing" how your shots are timed and working in the edit is tough. I have to output a small WMV file so I can actually how the edit is truely working.

 

Thanks

 

Tim

Mostly Correct…

 

I deal in 1/2 to 1 hour projects.

 

RAM is a big deal in any Editor as an Editor only opens a "window" into the file. When you move around outside of that 'window' it has to store what you are no longer using and load a buffered 'window' around where you looking now. So more RAM, bigger 'window' less HDD swapping, faster action…

 

But 'stuttering' in your rendered output are Video Card symptoms and no CPU or RAM will ever make up for that!

 

On both of my PC's listed I have had to update video cards and even then they are minimal cards that cannot take advantage of CUDA or ATI Stream technology. (I am jealous of all these who can, but too cheap to cure my envy ) actually there are other issues, putting a 'wow' card in a P4 is like polishing a pig and my 530 has a tiny power supply that I am probably taxing with an optical mouse… did I mention I need a crown or two so I can enjoy Popcorn without pre-soaking it?

 

I know Software render has been mentioned before but in the end you may have to go with a Desktop. Having a dedicated PC for video is a win-win situation too. Set it up and walk away… I have let the 8300 run for 41 hours once.

 

[treehousemann]

"Wow card" or Crown? Tough decision Jim. Sounds like the crowns may be more reliable for the pop corn consumption, than the "wow card" in the P4 given the pig make over, but not nearly as fun!

 

Ah yes, I do have CUDA and the renders speeds are really an improvement. I don't have any studder in the render outputs only in th previews in videowave. Its my constant battle. But again only with HD file formats.

 

But you are probably right, a move towards a dedicated desktop would probably be the right decision, but not practical given the travel I have to do. But it is something I will look at.

 

Thanks!

 

Tim

[Jim_Hardin]

"Wow card" or Crown? Tough decision Jim. Sounds like the crowns may be more reliable for the pop corn consumption, than the "wow card" in the P4 given the pig make over, but not nearly as fun!

 

Ah yes, I do have CUDA and the renders speeds are really an improvement. I don't have any studder in the render outputs only in th previews in videowave. Its my constant battle. But again only with HD file formats.

 

But you are probably right, a move towards a dedicated desktop would probably be the right decision, but not practical given the travel I have to do. But it is something I will look at.

 

Thanks!

 

Tim

Oh yah, got it! My P4 struggles in preview but that is unimportant.

 

It also warns me that a BD movie won't work, but it does.